OG without Ceb: How the team is adapting to new conditions and striving for success
For many years, the OG team has been associated with the name of Sebastian “Ceb” Debs, one of the most recognizable and titled players in the history of Dota 2. This man was not only a player, but also a real engine of the team, setting the tone for its performances. However, everything changes at some point, and the current season has become a new milestone for OG: for the first time in a long time, the team is performing without its permanent leader. How has this affected the team, what is it like to work without Ceb, and how is OG adapting to the new conditions? The team’s support Matthew “ari” Walker told us about this.
OG played without Ceb for the first time at a tier-1 tournament — BLAST Slam 1. Participation in such a prestigious championship was a test of strength for the updated roster. The result, unfortunately, left much to be desired: the team took 9-10 place out of ten participants, but this experience became an important lesson for all the players. According to Matthew Walker, playing without Ceb was a real challenge. “Ceb has always been our compass,” ari shares. “He gave us direction, showed us how to play, where to look for opportunities. Without him, each of us had to find the strength within ourselves to take on more responsibility.”
Role Reassignment: Ari and Nine as Leaders
When a team loses a central figure in its management, it leaves a vacuum. In OG’s case, the rest of the roster had to fill that vacuum. Ari admits that he and mid laner Leon “Nine” Kirilin had to take on some of the leadership responsibilities.
“It was a huge challenge,” Walker says. “Before that, we were used to Ceb organizing us and helping us make important decisions. Now, Nine and I had to learn to be leaders on the fly.”
It wasn’t an easy process. Ari recalls how the team often struggled with a lack of initiative in their first games without Ceb. “Each of us was used to looking to Sebastian to figure out what to do in a difficult situation. Without him, we had to become more independent.”
